Elevator signal system.



J. G. SOMERS.

ELEVATOR SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14. 1915.

1, 165,139, Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

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J. G. SOMERS.

ELEVATOR SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION r1150 APR. 14, 1915 1,165,139, 1 Patented B01121, 1915.

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ELEVATOR SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APR.14. 1915.

1, 165, 1 39, Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

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IN VE N TOR WITNESSES Jk 6,5 0 n 0277678. M&4 zagkfl By ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. SOMERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELEVATOR SIGNAL SYSTEM.

Application filed April 14, 1915.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN G. Sonnns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved lllevator'Signal System, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to elevator signal systems and has for its general object to provide a system whereby when a passenger presses the signal button, a signal will be energized when the next car approaching in the desired. direction nears the floor, so that the car conductor can take on the passenger, or whereby the signal will be automatically transferred to another shaft if the first car overlooked or ignored the signal, and in this manner a signal will be perpetuated in the shafts successively as the respective cars approach the floor on which the signal is given, until some car makes a stop and the gate thereof is opened, when the signal system is automatically restored to normal condition, the advantage being that it is impossible for the signal to be cut out by a car passing the floor from which the signal was given, so that the passenger will not be required to repeatedly press the call button.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a comparatively simple and. eflicient signal system which is relatively inexpensive to install and keep in operative condition, thoroughly reliable and eflicient in use, and so designed as to be entirely automatic in operation, irrespective of the number of shafts to which the system is applied.

A. further object of the invention is the provision of oar-operated switches arranged in sets in each shaft, whereby one set will be operated as the car ascends and the other as the car descends, whereby the signal circuits for the respective floors will be automatically placed in operative condition to be energized by the pressing of a stop signal push button at any floor, there being a master relay at each floor for controlling the up signals thereof and another master relay for controlling the down signals, and such relays are thrown in circuit by the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

Serial No. 21,238.

pressing of the signal buttons and are kept energized by two circuits both of which must be opened before the signal system is reset to normal condition, the opening of one of said circuits being effected by a caroperated switch associated with the floor on which the signal is given, and the other circuit being opened i a switch that is normally kept closed by the elevator shaft door at the floor from which the signal is given, and as a result a signal will appear in each shaft where there is a car approaching said floor, until a car is stopped in response to the signal.

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement ofparts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention. and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View of the signal system; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of an elevator shaft with the car moving downwardly; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on' the line 33, Fig. 5, of the slidable shoe on the car for operating up and down car-actuating switches; Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the shoe just passing a car-operated switch; Fig. 5 is a side view of the slidable shoe on the car; Fig. 6 is a front view of one of the car-operated switches; Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 7-7, Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a front view of one of the master switches or relays at each floor for the up or down signals thereof; Fig. 9 is a vertical section of Fig. 8; and Fig. 10 is a detail view of one of the gate or door-operating switches.

In the diagram shown in Fig. 1 the system is laid out for two shafts and two floors. but this is merely illustrative, as this system is adapted for a battery of any number of elevator shafts and for buildings of any height, as it is to be understood that the circuits and instrumentalitics at each floor are the same. The elevator shafts A and A are indicated by the vertical broken lines, and the various signals and door and carpcrated switches lying between these lines erjui for the r spective shafts. At 'ior and at each shaft are the up and ti at the car an be stopped in response to "l 0. signal, and these signal devices and 11 are QllQl "l7IBl prii'i'iarily by reason of the pressing of the up and down push buttons 12 and 13 arranged at each floor.

ln each shaft are sets of car-operated switches ll and B adaoted to be actuated --.ciively by the up and down movement of the car. Except for the lowermost of the up series and uppermost of the down series of these car-operated switches they are all the same, except that the corresponding switches of the two series are reversed. The construction of the car-operated switches will be apparent from Figs. l, 6 and 7. Each switch comprises a lever is fulcrumed at intermediate points on a pivot 1.5 fastened to an insulating panel or support 16. On the pivot 15 is a helical spring 17 which tends to hold the lever 1st in a predetermined. position, and when the lever is moved from such position it is automatically r turned by the spring. On the lever l l is a suitable device, such as a wheel 18 which is adapted to be wiped by an element carried by the car, whereby the lever will be shifted out of its normal position. One end of the lever is formed with bifurcations 19 which carry respectively contacts 20 and 21, the latter being insulated from tne lever 14-. These contacts are adapted to enga fixed contacts 20 and 21 on the supporting plate 16, and wires are connected with these various contacts and also with the lever M, as will be described in connection with the diagram of circuits hereinafter. The end of the lever that carries the wheel 18 also carries the contact which is normally separated from and adapted to engage a fixed contact The contacts on the lever are movably mounted and are backed by springs 24-.

The car-carried device which actu ates the car-operated switches B and B comprises a horizontally movable slide 25 that has its ends engaged in guides 26 fastened to a suitable part of the elevator car C. The outer face of this slide 25 is curved to form the shoe 27 that wipes by the wheels 18 on the switches B and B. ll hen the car reaches the ends of the shaft the shoe-carrying slide 25 is shifted out of line with one set of switches B or B to alinement with the other set, whereby the switches B are operated on the upward travel of the car and the switches B on the downward travel. To laterally shift the shoe the slide 25 has members extending from opposite sides in the form of wheels 28 and 29 which engage respectively inclined abutments 30 and 31 at the top and bottom of the elevator shaft, as shown in Fig. ln this figure the car is supposed to be descending and the shoe-carrying slide 25 is in its right-hand position, and when the car reaches the bottom of the shaft the abutment 31 shifts the shoe to the left so to be in position to operate the switches ll when the car moves upwardly. At each floor there are two sets or banks of up and down relay switches S and S, each ba -l: including a master switch M and signal s "ltClleS a and a, there being shown in the diagram, Fig. 1, only two signal switches a and s, as only two shafts are illustrated, and it will be understood that there is one signal switch for each of the up signals or down signals at each shaft.

The master switch or relay M compresses a l -shaped lever 32 fulcrumcd at 33 on a SHDDOIlJiDg plate 35! of insulation, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and the lever connected with the core of a solenoid Un the oppositely-disposed arms land Sr of the lever are contacts 39 and 5-0 respectively, the latter contacts being insulated, and these contacts cooperate respectively with fired contacts 39 and 4 0. The lever 32 has separate binding posts ll and 4:2 for circuit wires to be coni'iected therewith, and contacts 39 and 4:0 and 89 and 4.0 will also be connected with circuit wires, The switches s and s are the same as the master switch associated therewith, with the exception that the lever of each of said switches does not carry an insulated contact, but the free ere tremity of the lever forms a bridging contact 42 that bridges the contacts l3 and i l.

At each shaft gate or door is arranged a normally closed switch l) having contacts a5 and &6 that are engaged when the gate or door E, Fig. 10, is closed, but when the door is opened the switch I) automatically opens by reason of the spring l7 acting on the plunger 48 that carries the movable contact of this switch, and when this switch opens the signal circuit is automatically restored so that when the next car reachesthe same floor no signal will he given for such next car to stop.

The current may be derived from two mains l9 and 50 which form the positive and negative side of a supply circuit. The levers ll of the up switches of each floor; also the levers of the down switches of each ioor are connected in series with each other and are connected with the positive main and also with the lever of the master relay or signal switch, and these car-operated switches 13 or B are normally closed so as to connect the associated master signal switch with the positive main. The master signal switches 2d of both sets of si nal switches for a floor are also connected with the positive main through the gate-operated switches D, which are in series wit-h each other, and by reason of this arrangement a master switch after having controlled the signal circuit to give a signal when a passengers push button is pressed, can only be reset or restored to normal position when a car-operated switch B or B and a gateoperated switch I) have disconnected the master switch from the positive main. When a car-operated switch has been actuated by the car striking the same, the signal switch .9 or s at the floor above or below that where the particular car-operated switch being considered has been actuated, will be closed, so that the intended signal lamp will be energized, assuming of course that the passengers signal button has been pressed.

In describing the operation more specifically it will be assumed that a car is at the top of the elevator shaft A and a person at the point X pushes the button 13 .so as to signal the car as it comes down in the shaft A. When the switch B at the top of shaft A is closed, current flows from the main 1.9 through the wire 51, switch B, wire 52, solenoid 36 of the switch .5 in the group S, wire contacts 21 and 21, wires 51 and 55, and negative main \Vhen the down push-button 13 is pressed current flows from the positive main through the wire 56, push button 13, wire 57, solenoid 36 of the master switch M of group S, wires 58 and 55, and negative main 50. By the flow of current through these two circuits the solenoids of the master switch M and sig nal switch 5- are energized, so that the levers 32 are moved to closed circuit position, and consequently current flows through the down signal lamp 11 for the second floor of shaft A. This signal lamp is energized by current which flows through the path consisting of the positive main 4:9, wire 51, top switch B, while the same is closed by the c: r, wire 52, contacts 13, -12 and 4C1, wire 59, lamp 1, wire 60, contacts a and 19, and wires 61, 58 and The flow of current through the solenoid 36 of the switch .5" in the group S when the car-operated switch B at the top of shaft 1 is actuated, may be only momentary, so that it is necessary to hold the switch 8" closed by current flowing through other circuits, and consequently the signal 11 will be maintained energized. F or this purpose the closing of the switch 8 causes the solenoid 3'3 thereof to be connected with the positive main 19 through the wires 63, contact lever 14- of the down car-operated switch in shaft A at the second floor, contacts 90 and 20, wire 64-, lever 14: of the caroperated switch B in shaft A, contacts 20 and 20 thereof, wires 65 and 66. lever 32 and contacts 12 and of switch 8, solenoid 36, wire contacts 91 and 21 of switch B in shaft A, wires 54 and 55. If the down car in shaft A should not stop at the second floor by intentional or accidental disregard of the signal, the switch 8 will be automati cally opened when the car actuates the switch B of the second floor. The master switch M of group S will. remain closed so as to cause the down signal in shaft A to be energized when the car in such shaft is ready to travel downwardly. It will be understood that after the master switch M is initially closed it will be maintained closed by current flowing through the gate-operated switches D, the path for the current consisting of the wire connected with the positiye main A9, switch D of the gate for the shaft A at the second floor, wire 71, corresponding gate switch D of shaft A, wires 72 and 73, lever of master switch M in group S, wires 58 and 55, and negative inain 50. Consequently the master switch after being once closed will remain closed until a car in either shaft stops at the second'fioor, in response to a call signal. If it is the car in the shaft A that responds to the call the gate switch D of shaft A will be opened, so that the master switch M will be reset or returned to open-circuit position. The same method of operation applies to the switches and circuits on each floor, both for the up and down signals. The down signal 11 for the car of shaft A is energized by current flowing through a path consisting of the positive wire 19, wire 80, switch B" at the top of shaft A, wire 81, switch 8 of group S, wire 82-, lamp 11, wires 83 and 60, master switch M, wires 58 and 55, this lamp circuit being closed by energizing of the solenoid 30 of switch 8 when the car-operated switch B at the top of shaft A was actuated by the car. IV hen a car passes the switch B at the second floor it actuates such switch and opens the signal circuit through the opening of the signal switch or relay 8 or s", as the case may be, such opening of these switch circuits being effected by the contacts 21 and 21 of the switch B or B separating.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily under stood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I. desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An elevator apparatus for a plurality of shafts, the combination of a plurality of up and down signal devices at each shaft and for each floor, a switch for controlling each signal device, master switches for con trolling the first mentioned switches, there being up and down master switches at each floor, up and down push buttons at each floor for controlling the corresponding master switches, up and down car-operated switches in each shaft, each car-operated switch cooperating with one of the first-mentioned switches for energizing the appropriate signal device when a push-button is pressed, means carried by each shaft car and automatically shifted at the end of the up or down trip for actuating the car-operated switches, and shaft door-operated switches normally closed and adapted to be opened by the opening of the associated shaft doors for restoring the master switches to normal or open circuit position, the shaft dooroperated switches of each floor being connected in circuit with and controlling the up and down master switches of the same floor, and the door-operated switches for each floor being connected in series.

In an elevator signal apparatus, the combination of a plurality of shaft signal devices, a switch for controlling each signal device, a master switch for controlling the first-mentioned switches, a push-button for controlling the master switch, a car-operated switch in each shaft and cooperating with one of the first-mentioned switches for energizing the signal device when a push-button is pressed, and shaft door-operated switches for controlling the master switch after the same has been set by the actuation of a car-operated switch, said door-operated switches being normally closed and adapted to be opened by the opening of a shaft door for restoring the master switch to normal or opeircircuit position.

In an elevator car signaling apparatus, the combination of a signal device for each shaft, a normally open master switch adapted to be electrically closed, a push-button circuit for closing the master switch, shaft door-operated switches normally closed and all in series for maintaining the master switch in closed position after being once closed and adapted to permit the master switch to open when any of the door-operated switches is opened, an electric circuit in which all the signal devices are included and including normally separated contacts moved into engagement with each other when the master switch is closed, a signal switch con nected with each signal device, and car-operated switches for electrically operating signal switches, whereby a signal will be encrgized at the respective shafts by every approaching car until a car stops and the shaft door therefor is opened.

4-. In an elevator car signal apparatus, the combination of a signal device for each shaft, a master switch normally open and including contacts connected in circuit with the signal devices, electrical means for closing the master switch, a push-button for energizing the electrical means by a passenger desiring a car to stop, door-operated switches for energizing the said electrical means when the puslrbutton is released, any dooroperated switch when open causing the mas ter switch to open, a signal switch for each signal device and including normally separated contacts, a car-operated switch in each shaft for closing an associated signal switch to energize the signal device of the same shaft in which a car-actuated switch is operated, and a caroperated switch for opening the closed signal switch when the car reaches a point to receive the signal.

5. In an elevator car signal apparatus, the combination of a signal device for each shaft, a master switch normally open and including contacts connected in circuit with the signal devices, electrical means for closing the master switch, a push-button for energizing the electrical means by a passenger desiring a car to stop, door-operated switches for energizing the said electrical means when the push-button is released, any door-operated switch when open causing the master switch to open, a signal switch for each signal device and including normally separated contacts, a cal-operated switch in each shaft for closing an associated signal switch to energize the signal device of the same shaft in which a car-actuated switch is operated, and a car-operated switch for opening the closed signal switch when the car reaches apoint to receive the signal, the second car-operated switches being normally in series and connected with the electrical means of the master switch when the latter is closed, whereby said electrical means is energized through the door-operated switches and the second-mentioned caroperated switches.

6. In an elevator car signal apparatus, the combination of separate sets of up and down car-actuated switches, floor signal devices in each shaft,'a normally closed shaft gate-operated switch, an electrically-operated master switch for corresponding signal devices of each floor, separate signal switches for the corresponding signal devices of each floor, a push-button circuit for each master switch, circuits controlled by the door-operated and car-operated switches for maintaining closed the master switch that has been closed by the energizing of a push-button circuit, an electrical connection from a caroperated switch at one fioor to a signal switch at an adjacent floor, and the car-operated switches including normally engaged contacts adapted to open the signal circuits when a closed master switch is restored to open position by the opening of a gate-open ated switch, and an automatically shifted dename to this specification in the presence of Vice carried by the elevator car in each shaft two subscribing Witnesses. for actuating successively one set of car-0perated switches While the car travels in one JOHN SOMERS' 5 direction and the other set while the car \Vitnesses:

travels in the opposite direction. C. BRADWAY,

In testimony whereof I have signed my PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

